T-1.5 Days!

Only 1.5 days left till Kelly & Jesse tie the knot! Here they are today, outside the Logan courthouse after getting their marriage license. We can't wait for their big day on Saturday!

An Oldie but Cutie

What's better than a sleepy baby, snuggled in your arms?? 

Dyl's going through a phase of only napping if she's being held (again), and I like to remind myself to cherish these moments - that someday she'll be too big to hold in my arms as one lovely lump - and to relax, read my book, and soak up the snuggles. Because there really is nothing better than snuggling my lovely, sweet smelling, cuddly, little girl.

Full Speed Summer

Here are some pictures from Saturday at our friends', Jennifer & Christina's, Memorial weekend party. We had a cookout, and we got to take Dyl swimming for the very first time, in their quarry. She loved it! 

There's that pout lip we know & love! She was having fun though, I promise. She also had a turtle raft to float in, which she liked at first. After awhile though she just wanted to be held so she could splash in the water. It's nice holding a baby in the water, they hardly weigh anything. :)

And of course, what baby doesn't love to play in the sand and with all the awesome water toys??

We really had a lovely Memorial Day/Birthday weekend - I wish it didn't have to end. Now it's just 5 days till Kelly & Jesse's wedding! Summer is starting out full speed this year, that's for sure. :)

Holy cow - I'm 28!

Dyl playing in her new fountain pool for the first time - she loved it! We were in there for at least an hour today, she's our little water baby. 

"This is pretty awesome, Mommy! I love summer!"

"What?? We're going to go to the beach for a whole week and get to play in the water EVERY day?!?"

A baby pool family picture. :) Dyl loved the sprinkly fountains. She kept trying to grab the water spouting up from them, it was too cute.

Having a drink of tasty well water out of Mommy's hands.

The best birthday present in the whole entire world! This is my first birthday with a sweet baby cakes in my arms, and I hope to get to hug Dylan on my birthday every year for the rest of my life. I love you so much, Dylan.

"Hey, Mommy, what's with all these crab shirts I'm wearing these days? I'm not sure what I think about this crab cake nickname anymore - I'm a good girl!" (This awesome shirt - made by my friend Andrea Ogle. We love it, Andrea!)

Kelly & Jesse modeling their awesome shirts for the Warrior Dash they're running in the day after their wedding. (Chad's running too - along with a few of Kelly & Jesse's friends. I predict a bunch of hungover dashers!)

Happy Birthday to me! Holding the best gift of all in my arms. Dylly thought my cake & candles were awesome. 

"Whoa, Mommy, that's a lot of smoke! You're old!" 

I love our little family - here & in Heaven. <3

Today was a wonderful birthday - I am a very lucky girl. Thank you Chadmo, Dylly, & Haley for the delicious birthday breakfast and gorgeous Loet Vanderveen rhinoceros. Thank you Mom, Dad, Grandma, Kelly & Jesse for the lovely gifts and cards. Thank you Mom & Grandma for the delicious birthday dinner and cake! Thank you, God, for a wonderful life filled with a wonderful family.

Bathing Cutie

Our Bathing Cutie - chewing on her sprinkly whale. She does still love her baths! Except now she only wants to sit up, and doesn't want to have to ever lean back, which  makes hair washing tricky.

A day at the mall

Today was an exciting milestone! Dylan and I went shopping at the Lancaster mall together, and while we were in Elder Beerman's, I was showing her some toys. When I showed her the seahorse featured below (its' tummy lights up and it plays lullabies for 5 minutes when you squeeze it), she just smiled and smiled. Then when I went to put it back on the shelf, she fussed and kept craning her neck around to look at it again. So of course, I had to buy it for her. It was so exciting to take her shopping and buy her something she wanted for the first time ever! :) She is just TOO cute! 

Dylan showing off her new toy to Daddy this evening after bath time.

"Shopping is fun, Mommy! (As long as you don't try on clothes, that's terrible.)"

Here's a picture with no flash, to show how cool his belly is when he's playing music & glowing. Dylly thinks he's pretty cool!

Dyl & I had another fun day today. After lunch we went to the florist to make a bouquet for Grandma as a "Yay it's the end of the school year!" present. Then we surprised her at school, just to say hello. Dylly thought all those hundreds of 5th & 6th graders were a little overwhelming, but she did a good job and didn't cry.

After we were done at Grandma's school, Dyl & I headed up to Lancaster. We went shopping, had an Auntie Anne's pretzel (almond - yum!), hung out in the play area and sat on the floor while we watched a bunch of little kids play on all the stuff (definitely Dyl's favorite part of the shopping trip), nursed in a changing room, shopped some more, and then headed home for a snugly, nursing nap. Then we had dinner with Daddy: BLT's which were quite tasty. After dinner I headed into town for my evening walk, and then came home for a last little bit of play time, a photo shoot, and then nursing Dyl to sleep. She didn't sleep worth beans last night, so let's hope tonight is better. I'm one pooped puppy!

Lounge-about Baby

Frillers lounging about in Mommy's big bed in the morning - talk about the sweet life! I love these sweet, snugly moments so much, I hope she never outgrows them.

Why can't every day be like this??

A picture from our car trip up to Columbus this weekend - Little Miss had just woken up from a 30 minute snooze. Isn't she the sweetest thing??

A picture of the girls hanging out in their diapers in the Dickerson's backyard today! This picture looks cruel: Dylan sharing my drink while poor Greta is forced to eat leaves out of the yard. ;) But really Miss Greta Jane had her very own ice cream - Dylan can't wait till her dairy intolerance goes away so she can have some ice cream too!

Dyl & I were quite the social butterflies today. We stopped in at Oldemor (Grandma Stevelt's) house to give her a framed picture of Dyl. We ended up staying for lunch and hanging out for about an hour. Then we headed off to the Dickerson's for some backyard play time and some cold tasty treats - it was a hot one today! My friend Marcy is in town from D.C. with her 3 kiddos, so we went out to visit them at her parents' house for a few hours this afternoon. We went for a short walk, but mostly we just caught up and I finally got to meet Cameron (6 months old) who we've decided should be betrothed to Dylan. ;) Then Dyl & I headed home for a nap and some intense nursing for her (other people's houses are too interesting to nurse at!) and some dinner for myself & Chadmo. Grandpoppy came in to visit while we were eating dinner. After dinner I headed off to town for my 3 mile walk with Heather, April couldn't join us this evening, and Dyl, Daddy, & the dogs went up the hill for their walk. At 9:00 I got back home, played with Dylly & Daddy in the nursery for awhile, nursed Dyl to sleep, and at long last I am crawling into a much desired warm bath and then headed to bed! Goodnight Moon!

Celebrating the Bride-To-Be!

Today we had a very fun bridal shower for Aunt Kelly in Columbus, at Aunt Katy & Uncle Greg's house. Here are just a few preview pictures that Grandma sent us from her camera - we'll post more later when we can access her entire stash of photos. :) 

Dylan (almost 8 months) and Abby (almost 9 months) meeting for the 3rd time. They make quite the cute pair, even if Dylan did pull her stuffed lion away from Abby, which Abby countered by hitting Dylan in the head with a box. ;) LOL Neither of them cried or probably even noticed what the other one was doing, but it was pretty hilarious from an adult perspective!

Diva Dylan. Possibly the most adorable picture of Dylan ever. (I know, I know. I say that a lot.)

Aunt Kelly modeling one of her more scandalous gifts from the shower - oh la la! ;)

Thank you so much - K&G - for letting us borrow your house for the day and for helping us get everything ready. Thank you, Mom, for making the delicious Texas caviar & tomato & mozzarella sandwiches. Thank you, Mimi, for making the tasty, tasty mandarin orange salad - it just wouldn't be a family event without it. Thank you, Aunt Kelly, for coming home from D.C. so we could shower you with all the well-wishes for a happy wedding that you deserve. And thank you to all our friends & family that came over today to celebrate Kelly & Jesse's upcoming nuptials with us today. We had a lovely time, and we hope you all did too!

Al Fresco

Dyl's first time dining al fresco! I'm pretty sure she's drumming on her highchair saying "More sweet corn casserole, please, Daddy!"

I wish I was half as cute as her, and could get away with dining in my underthings! ;) 

Practicing her Tai Chi poses.

"Hey, what's this?"

"Oooh, a tasty iris!"

"Nobody lets me have any fun or eat anything cool." *pout* (I LOVE Grandma's smile in the corner. :))

"What are those dogs barking at over there?"

"Hey now, don't forget me out here! Mommy? I've had enough Tai Chi for one night..."

"Yay! Someone's coming to pick me up!" (Finally, a smile caught on camera!)

"No, no. I didn't want you to just set me down in another spot, next to some even peskier flowers that tickle my ear. Pleeeeeeeeease pick me up!"

Dyl has become a pro at raising her arms up to let you know she wants you to pick her up. I think it's most adorable, and I love that she has at least one thing she can communicate clearly to me now. An added bonus: when she's fussy and wants picked up, but I can't grab her right away, she fusses and waves her arms about and looks like an angry octopus, which is just too too cute. :)

Dyl & I walked 3.75 miles today. A personal record for us, particularly during the hottest part of the day, and I swear it seemed it was almost entirely up hill while pushing a stroller with a nearly 20 pound Dyl-frill in it! I'm not sore, but I am TIRED. The chiropractor has instructed me that I have to go crazy this summer and get as in shape as I possibly can. Hopefully then we can finally get my hip & pelvis straightened out and strengthened up. He was encouraging running, but between the heat and the hills today, walking sure seemed like I was giving it my all anyway. We'll see, maybe I'll have to start throwing a bit of running into our walks. Anyone want to loan me a jogging stroller??

One lucky Momma

This is the happy face that woke up next to me in my bed after an hour of snuggling and nursing this morning (Dyl's preferred method to ease out of her night's sleep lately - I love it!) I am one lucky Momma!

Cat Girl

"Oooooh! What's this?!? Is it a kitty cat?"

"It IS a kitty cat!! SO cool!"

 "Oh, I'm sorry kitty. I didn't mean to pull your fur. Please come back, you're sooo soft & fluffy..."

"Yay! We're friends!" (If you look closely, Forrest is licking Dyl's hand in this picture. Too cute.) 

Dyl sure does love her pets, especially when they pay attention to her and dare to come close to her. Forrest was being extra good sport about having her pull on him tonight, and Chadmo managed to get some good photos of it while I was out walking with the girls. I hope Dylly grows up to be an animal lover, she sure seems to be on that track so far!

Well, I was very pleasantly surprised last night - Dyl slept well! And she was quite the happy baby today, and a good napper too. It was downright lovely. Grandma and Grandpoppy watched her while I went to meet with the builders for 3 hours (oh my! I think I know less now than I did before I went. So much to think about!) They reported that she was very happy for them, did a good job eating carrots, and took a 50 minute nap while she was there. She was quite the happy girl this evening, but after taking her nap a bit earlier than average, she was one pooped puppy by 9:30. I swaddled her, laid her in my arms to nurse, and her eyes were closed in literally 30 seconds. She is SUCH a cutie pie. We love her to bits!

Oh-so-elusive

*Pbbbbt* "I scoff at bedtime. Bedtime is for babies. I'm a big girl now."

"See, I can sit up by myself, while holding this butterfly with one hand and inspecting its' wing with my other hand. I couldn't do that when I was a little baby. Next thing you know, I'll be driving a car."

Whew, it's been a long day! Dyl only slept 8.5 hours last night (and she was up twice during that time). She didn't nap for more than 40 minutes twice today. She had to accompany me to the chiropractor this morning, which she wasn't crazy about. And then she pretty much refused to fall asleep for Jennifer this afternoon while I was at work, so she was up for 5+ hours straight, and was hyperventilating and practically in a stupor by the time I got in from work. (She did fall asleep for Jennifer for about the last 5 minutes, after making her walk laps outside for about 45 minutes, but woke up the second she heard me come in.) Poor Dyl, she just wants her Mommy to stay home with her all the time, I think. She sure breaks my heart when my working results in her feeling like that. We did trick her into another short snooze this evening, in our arms. But she fought bedtime tooth & nail, which never tends to indicate a good night's sleep to come. Hopefully she'll prove me wrong and sleep like a dream to make up for the exhaustion of today. We're off to meet with the first potential home builders tomorrow, so it would be nice to meet with them well rested. Either way though, it's incredibly exciting to be officially moving towards building! It would be nice to meet with them though when I am capable of speech and coherent thought, which is sometimes asking a lot after a couple of days of no sleep - a common problem among my fellow momma friends it seems. ;)

Wishing you all good nights of that oh-so-elusive thing called sleep!

Bath time at Grandma & Grandpoppy's

"Life's hard for a baby with hair. There seems to be an excessive amount of shampooing and head scrubbing involved."

Happy Mother's Day!

"Whoa, these mobiles are tricky to look at when you're sitting up and not lying down."

"Grandma, Mommy says your her Mommy. Is that true?? That just sounds too complicated!"

"Oh well, I don't care so long as you're my Grandma! I love you & mommy both so much! Mommy keeps telling me I'm the best Mother's Day present of all. I hope you agree. :)"

"I'm sooo sleepy. I think I have to go to bed now. But happy mother's day to you both, Mommy & Grandma. Sweet dreams."

This is my 4th Mother's Day, but it's my first Mother's Day with a baby in my arms, and let me promise you that that made it the best one yet. Dylan, you truly are the best gift I could ever ask for. Thank you for making my life good again. I love you with all my heart!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, Grandma McMillan, Grandmom Stevelt, Chad's Mom, and Granny Lee - you are all amazing women and we are so thankful and lucky to have had you all as parts of our lives. We love you all so much. Happy Mother's Day too, to all my fellow Mommy friends. I know so many amazing mothers, and I hope you were all spoiled today, as you deserve to be.

Thank Heavens it's Friday!

"My Grandpoppy - what big eyes you have!" says Dyl.

"The better to make you smile with, my Dyl!" says Grandpoppy. :)

"Are you hungry, Grandpoppy? Would you like some puzzle?" (I absolutely adore this picture.)

"Is Grandpa mocking my taste in lunch snacks, Mommy? Puzzles are delicious. Orange plastic rings are too."

This cutie pie sure is loved by a lot of people. She now raises her arms to you when she wants you to pick her up, or she'll reach for someone if she wants to be held by them. It's so cute!